White Ribbon Ride to finish in Rotorua with community day

The annual White Ribbon Ride passing through Hastings earlier this week. Photo/File

The annual White Ribbon Ride will finish with a community party in Rotorua this weekend.

The riders will have visited around 85 communities and schools spreading the anti-violence message.

Running to Stop It, White Ribbon Ride, Te Hahi, Zonta Club of Rotorua, Te Arawa , local rangatahi talent and Rotorua police will all join together to celebrate on the Village Green on the Rotorua Lakefront tomorrow.

White Ribbon rider and ambassador Aaron Morrison said people needed to be talking with our sons and daughters to help them understand the value of respectful, non-violent relationships.

"All the stats show fathers are more likely to talk to their daughters about the risks of sexual violence and consent. They are far less likely to talk to their sons about respectful relationships and respectful sexual relationships. It is those ongoing talks that strengthen behaviour," Morrison said.

"People who don't think this is an important message may be part of the problem. It happens at all levels of society."

A new initative being launched at the community event is Te Hahi.

Rotorua pastor Scott Clifford, who is taking the lead on the initiative on behalf of the Association of Rotorua Churches, said it was church leaders and volunteers getting together to support the police specifically in areas of family harm.

Clifford said Te Hahi and White Ribbon Ride teamed up as they are both working towards the same goals, but not necessarily in the same way.

"We're jumping in to be there alongside them, to support them, and to introduce what we're doing," Clifford said.

Clifford said Te Hahi was a "handshake" between the police and the church.

The intiative was formed after Tui Keenan, a former police officer, had dealt with a number of family harm incidents on the job, and she felt it wasn't good enough that police had to leave situations with little to no support for the family.

"They're just not staffed, geared, or set up to do that. She said maybe the churches are, so what's happened is the police will assess the situation and see whether a group of maybe two or three church volunteers coming in with a food parcel and a little bit of support could help quell the situation," Clifford said.

Clifford said seven or eight churches were already committed to providing volunteers.

The E Tu Whanau and White Ribbon Community Day is a day of acknowledgement for local kahukura, but also a fun day out for whanau with free food, games, local talent, police dog displays and much more.

Where: Village Green (Rotorua Lakefront)
When: Saturday 25 November 12pm-4pm
Who: The whole family